Thanks to the UE Engine's flexible feature sets and incredibly friendly payment structure, the startup capital threshold for small and medium-sized studios had been driven down to the absolute floor.
There was no longer a need for multi-million dollar commercial engine licenses, nor was there a need for massive low-level R&D teams to painfully reinvent the wheel.
The sparks of creativity ignited completely in this once-marginalized exhibition area.
This year, the small and medium-sized developers weren't just showcasing the same old cookie-cutter 2D games. Instead, they presented first-person shooters, 3D action-adventures, and complex simulation management games.
Gameplay mechanics were blooming in every direction, with quality even rivaling the second-tier titles of major studios!
Investors and venture capital representatives were completely overwhelmed by the choices.
They had originally planned to just stroll through, pick up a few cheap IPs, or scout a few promising programmers to hire.
Now, they were frantically calling their headquarters to request increased investment quotas, terrified that if they were a step too late, their competitors would snatch up these cheap yet immensely promising prospects.
David and Paul were squeezed in the crowd, their backs completely soaked with sweat, even breathing feeling difficult.
"Sony's announcing a bunch of third-party exclusives over at the main stage. Why don't you go snap a few photos? Ken Kutaragi paid a fortune for that slot," David said, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he asked a fellow journalist beside him—a veteran editor from Electronic Gaming Monthly.
"Photos my ass!" The editor raised his voice recorder and gestured to the frenzied crowd around them, his face full of disdain. "That's just a bunch of suits reading scripts and selling pipe dreams! They don't even have the guts to show a live demo! This is where the real news is. Look at these small teams—they've made things with a few thousand dollars that are more fun than what Konami spent a million on! Sony? A dog wouldn't even look at that!"
The press always had the sharpest instincts.
Large groups of reporters split off from the Central Hall, swarming into the South Wing Pavilion like sharks that had caught the scent of blood.
Flashbulbs popped continuously in front of the crude folding tables, documenting the grassroots teams that might completely reshape the industry in the coming years.
Oguchi Hisao surveyed the scene, highly satisfied with the results.
He walked to the relatively quiet smoking area outside the pavilion.
Pulling his phone from his pocket, he dialed the number for the Sega Headquarters in Tokyo.
The line rang twice before being answered immediately.
"Managing Director." Oguchi Hisao lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled a plume of pale blue smoke. His eyes were sharp. "The situation here in Atlanta is unfolding exactly as you predicted."
Takuya Nakayama's voice came through the line from across the ocean, radiating the calm confidence of a master strategist. "So, Carmack's nuclear bomb has gone off?"
"It has. The South Wing Pavilion is a complete madhouse," Oguchi said, flicking the ash from his cigarette and chuckling. "UE 1.0 has completely smashed the technical barriers to entry. Those small studios are using Asset Store materials and plugins to close the graphical gap with the AAA giants. EA and Ubisoft are practically fighting over projects in there—they're one step away from drawing guns."
The rustle of papers could be heard over the phone.
"Let them fight," Takuya Nakayama sneered. "Sega is the one spearheading the entire UE ecosystem. Our development kits are the most compatible with UE. The first priority for cross-platform compilation of these UE-powered games is our Jupiter console. The better they do, the more fiercely they compete, the richer Jupiter's software library becomes. We are using the rest of the industry's money to nurture Sega's ecosystem."
Oguchi Hisao took a deep drag of his cigarette.
"Sony must be tearing their hair out," he said. "Kutaragi spent a fortune securing those third-party exclusives, but all that hype is being drowned out by the creativity of these indie teams. The press doesn't care what Sony's execs are spouting on stage—they're all off in the South Wing Pavilion hunting for hidden gems."
"Hold the line. Make sure our own first-party blockbusters are showcased properly," Takuya Nakayama commanded, his tone brooking no argument. "Let those big studios see that while the underlying technology is open-source, the barrier to creating a true industrial-grade masterpiece is still one they can't cross. As for the smaller teams, pick the top few. Have Sega's publishing department sign them directly and give them the best distribution channels. Bind them to our war machine."
"Understood. Leave it to me," Oguchi Hisao said, crushing his cigarette out in the ashtray atop the trash can.
On Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, inside a veteran video game retail store.
The brass bell above the door chimed sharply.
Three high schoolers, backpacks slung over their shoulders and drenched in sweat, burst through the door. Without even catching their breath, they charged straight for the magazine rack beside the checkout counter.
"Don't push, don't push! One copy per person, just came in today!" Old Tom, the shop owner, tapped the glass counter, smiling as he watched the group of eager teenagers.
The boy at the front snatched up a shrink-wrapped copy of Electronic Gaming Monthly.
"This is the nuclear bomb of the industry!"
He tore through the plastic wrap, releasing a pungent waft of fresh ink. His two companions immediately crowded around, their three heads pressed tightly together.
While industry insiders fought tooth and nail over general-purpose engine code and business models—even trading blows on forums—these young gamers couldn't care less about underlying rendering logic or how many lines of god-tier code Carmack had written.
They cared about only one thing: what killer games would keep them up all night in the coming months.
"Hurry! Flip straight to the Sega page!" the chubby boy beside him urged impatiently.
The magazine's layout was incredibly dense, with almost no white space. It was packed with heart-pounding, full-page screenshots of actual gameplay.
"Holy crap, look at this!" The boy holding the magazine pointed to a small article at the bottom of the page.
The piece detailed the latest from the South Wing Pavilion. "An action game set in the Middle Ages, made by a small French team. Look at the metallic reflection on that armor, the lighting in that dungeon—oh man, they're saying it'll be out on Jupiter next year for only thirty-nine dollars!"
"What about Sony? Any news?"
"Sony?" The boy in the baseball cap rolled his eyes and flipped back several pages. "They only announced a few third-party exclusives. The screenshots look okay, I guess, but they're nothing compared to Sega's star-studded lineup. Ken Kutaragi probably blew the whole budget on Hollywood celebrities and TV commercials. Does he really think gamers are idiots?"
The chubby boy rummaged around in the pockets of his dirty jeans, then slapped a handful of crumpled US dollar bills and a jangling pile of coins onto the counter.
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